Weaving Model for Consistent System Configuration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Integrating configuration fragments of computing systems into a consistent system configuration is challenging due to potential overlaps and complex relationships between entities, which can lead to malfunctioning and failure to meet targeted properties such as availability and performance.

Innovation Solution

A model-driven approach using a weaving model that captures the semantics of relations among configuration fragments, generating transformations and integration constraints to create a consistent system configuration that adheres to the targeted properties, ensuring system configuration consistency and reusability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If configuration fragments are integrated separately without a unified weaving model, then development flexibility and reusability are improved, but configuration consistency and system reliability deteriorate due to overlapping entities and conflicting management actions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevelopment flexibilityVSAvoidconfiguration consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a weaving model as an intermediary layer between separate configuration fragments. This weaving model defines transformation rules and integration constraints that mediate how entities from different configuration aspects (software, hardware, functional, availability, performance, security) are combined into a consistent system configuration, preventing conflicts while maintaining separation of concerns

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms configuration fragments by applying parameter changes through defined transformations. The weaving model specifies how parameters and attributes from source models are transformed and integrated into the target system configuration, ensuring consistency through controlled parameter modification rather than direct integration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If a weaving model with transformation rules is applied to integrate configuration fragments, then configuration consistency is improved, but integration complexity and processing time worsen

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconfiguration consistencyVSAvoidintegration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the integration process into distinct transformation rules that operate on specific entity types and relationships. Each transformation rule handles a particular aspect of configuration integration independently, making the overall complex process manageable through modular, segmented transformations rather than a monolithic integration approach

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The weaving model performs preliminary actions by pre-defining transformation rules and integration constraints before actual configuration integration occurs. This preliminary setup establishes the framework for consistent integration, reducing the complexity of the actual integration execution by having the integration logic prepared in advance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If integration constraints are generated from transformation rules, then runtime consistency is improved, but constraint management complexity worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveruntime consistencyVSAvoidconstraint management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically generating integration constraints from the transformation rules defined in the weaving model. The constraint generation is performed autonomously based on the transformation logic, reducing manual constraint management complexity while ensuring runtime consistency through systematically derived constraints

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3394745B1Semantic weaving of configuration fragments into a consistent configuration

Publication Date: 2023.01.25 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

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AI summary

A system configuration is generated by integrating source models. Transformations are generated according to a weaving model that specifies relations among metamodels of the source models and the system configuration. The transformations, when executed, transform the source models into the system configuration that includes target entities. From the transformations, one or more integration constraints are generated for each target entity to be created or modified by an operation of the transformations. The integration constraints describe semantics of the relations specified by the weaving model. System configuration constraints are formed to include the integration constraints in addition to constraints of each source model. The transformations are executed to transform the source models into the system configuration to generate the system configuration obeying the system configuration constraints.